Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy offers some great dialogue, strong characters and occasionally interesting story choices. The gameplay is serviceable, and it could have used a bit more polish, but it's being in the company of these self-proclaimed good guys that you'll be most interested in.
On its own, Impostor Factory is a decent adventure with occasionally interesting story elements and mostly enjoyable dialogue. But as part of the otherwise great series, it's a disappointing misstep.
New World has the mechanical foundations of a decent MMO, with passable combat and good visuals, but its hopes are extinguished at the hands of dreadful PvE design. The few distinctive experiences that it does have, locked away behind high levels as if the game knows it has precious little to offer, are not worth the hours of mind numbing grind to get there.
NHL 22 makes a careful and mostly smooth transition to a new engine and the new console generation. The new ice looks great, and some gameplay tweaks are enjoyable, but beneath the surface the experience still feels very much the same.
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes certainly changes things up for the anthology, with a cliché over the top story and a new tone that returning fans may not enjoy. But the strong cast and some interesting choices help prod the adventure along, even as its awkward new camera and dated visuals try to get in the way.
Despite a full year since the launch of the new console generation, FIFA 22 doesn't offer anything groundbreaking, on or off the pitch. The changes are largely minor and exclusive features are not worth fretting over. It plays a solid game of football, as always, but we're still left waiting for a true next-gen leap.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a title of high artistic value, but one that stumbles in gameplay. It's got charming characters and setting, a decent story and great looking cutscenes, but actually playing through the experience is largely underwhelming.
Deathloop is able to break the cycle of repetitive AI encounters and uneven performance thanks to an interesting story, strong characters, and enticing exploration.
Song of Iron starts off as a promising minimalistic Viking adventure, before running out of steam and dipping in quality the longer you play - which isn't long, thus also putting its asking price into question.
The Artful Escape is a joyous intergalactic trip with an electric guitar and vibrant visuals. Like a good solo, if you get swept up in the experience, you'll forget all about its flaws.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite does no favors to the franchise's reputation in video games. It's a mostly functional, but very repetitive and bland shooter that may only grab the interest of the most hardcore Xeno enthusiasts.
Humankind is a decent 4X entry for fans of the genre looking for something different - and yet very familiar. Newcomers are probably better off trying Civilization and giving Humankind some time to address its issues.
Lifeslide offers decent value on paper, pun intended, and yet the brief run time and wonky physics prevent you from fully enjoying the colorful but repetitive levels.
The Forgotten City succeeds at drawing you into a mystery and using time travel mechanics very effectively. As a narrative adventure, its strong cast and engaging setting help bring the city to life. The game may not always look great and some of the endings are rather abrupt, but it's a trip back in time worth taking.
Aery - Calm Mind sets the bar very low for itself to begin with, and yet still manages to deliver some annoyances. This casual flight game is little more than a tech demo, and while some may argue if it's worth the price, it turns out to be not worth the time.
Death's Door is a streamlined action adventure experience that finds a groove and sticks with it. With a low asking price and high level of polish, fans of this genre should find the little crow's soul reaping journey quite endearing.
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game is comprised of a very watered down collection of minigames that offer just a few fleeting moments of fun. Fans looking for something casual might as well pick up the Mario & Sonic spinoff instead - and even so, temper your expectations.
Dark Alliance is a dull and unpolished multiplayer action RPG with repetitive and glitchy combat, broken online connectivity, unbalanced solo play, and more than enough technical issues to put off anyone even slightly interested in checking it out.
Agent Intercept offers a surprisingly thrilling action-adventure, but even with some improvements over the mobile version, the shallow and repetitive gameplay ultimately holds it back.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart delivers some fun action and great looking visuals with a charming art style, but it doesn't really push the gameplay boundaries of the familiar franchise formula.